Role of Education in Women Empowerment

and Development: Issues and Impact

S O W J A N YA S . S H E T T Y

D R V. B A S I L H A N S

L E C T U R E R , D E PA R T M E N T O F E C O N O M I C S
ECONOMICS, AND
POORNAPRAJNA COLLEGE
SUPERVISOR

A S S O C I AT E P R O F E S S O R O F
RESEARCH
S T A LOY S I U S E VE N IN G C O L L E G E

UDUPI

M AN GA LUR U

C O N TA C T N O : 9 4 8 2 7 4 7 3 7 3

C O N TA C T N O : 9 8 4 5 2 3 7 6 0 2

EMAIL : sowjanya936@gmail.com

EMAIL: vhans2011@gmail.com

V E N U E : S T A LOY S I U S C O L L E G E M A N G A LU R U
D AT E : 2 2 2 3 S E P T E M B E R

2015

Introduction
Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom for development
It is an end in itself as well as a means for realising other desirable ends.
Its only through education the evils like poverty, unemployment and inequality can be completely
eradicated
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru once said: If you educate a man you educate an individual, however, if you
educate a woman you educate a whole family. Women empowered means mother India empowered.

Objectives of the Study

To study the impact of education on empowerment of women
To study the challenges and changes from education on women
empowerment

Methodology
The present study is based on the collection of data from
secondary sources. Secondary data is obtained from various
published
journals.

and

unpublished

records,

books,

magazines

and

Table 1: Literacy Rate in India

Year

Persons

Male

Female

1901

5.3

9.8

0.7

1911

5.9

10.6

1.1

1921

7.2

12.2

1.8

1931

9.5

15.6

2.9

1941

16.1

24.9

7.3

1951

16.7

24.9

7.3

1961

24.0

34.4

13.0

1971

29.5

39.5

18.7

1981

36.2

46.9

24.8

1991

52.1

63.9

39.2

2001

65.38

76.0

54.0

2011

74.04

82.14

65.46

Inequality in education is a Global Issue. The highest levels of

inequality in education were in South Asia (42 %), the Arab States
(41%) and Sub- Saharan Africa (37%).
There has been limited progress in reducing disparities in
education,

except

in

Europe

Development Report 2014).

and

Central

Asia

(Human

Women Empowerment
Empowerment enables women to acquire knowledge, skills and techniques which will help them in
their personal and social growth as well as foster in them sensitivity towards problems in the society.
Economic empowerment is essential for improvement of female sex ratio but economic empowerment is
possible only when women are educated.

Obstacles to women empowerment

Violence
Gender inequality
Family restrictions
Early marriages

Measures and Mechanisms for the empowerment of women

National Policy on Education (NPE) 1986
The Mahila Samakhya Programme (Education for Womens Empowerment) 1987
The National Commission for Women 1990
National Policy on Education (1986, revised in 1992)
The District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) 1994
Free and compulsory education (86th Constitutional Amendment)
The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA Education for All) 2001-02
Establishing more Womens Universities 12th plan
Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao scheme 2014

Suggestions
Creation of awareness for daughters education is essential
Inculcate in women the confidence that change is possible, if women work collectively
Encourage and ensure socio-economic participation of women in local and international forums.
Change the approach towards women based on sex discrimination
To induce the feeling of self-dependence amongst women
Removal of gender inequality and wider reforms in support of gender equality
Eliminating all forms of discrimination in employment especially to eliminate wage differentials
between men and women

Suggestions (contd)
Actively participate in social and political moves. Fifty percent seats should be reserved for women in
all the governments
Spread the message that education of women is a pre-condition for fighting against their oppression
Awareness needs to be generated regarding the necessity of educating girls so as to prepare them to
contribute effectively to the socio-economic development of the nation
To change the attitudes towards female education and to raise the social consciousness of the country,
through national media and communication effort
Child bearing at young ages should be prevented by preventing early marriages

Suggestions (contd)
Introduce satellite schools for remote hamlets
Be cautious and patience in the knowledge journey: it is from knowledge creation/discovery (KD) to
knowledge transfer

(KT) and to knowledge management (KM) , not without human resource

management (HRM)
Encourage ICT tools and the use of internet, for the study and research by women
Increasing real representation of women in political bodies and governance institutions in order to move
from being objects of legislation to initiators of change
Encourage participation of women in income generating activities. Proper implementation of schemes
provided by the government should be done by respective agencies

Conclusion
The evils of poverty, unemployment and inequality cannot be eradicated by man alone.
Equal and active participation of women is obligatory. Unless women are educated they
will not be able to understand about their rights and their importance. Empowerment of
women aims at striving towards acquiring higher literacy level and education, better
health care for women and their children, equal ownership of productive resources,
increased participation in economic and commercial sectors, awareness of their rights,
improved standard of living and to achieve self-reliance, self-confidence and self-respect
among women. From women for development the time has come to shift focus to
women in development.

SELECT REFERENCES
Alva, A., and Hans V. B. (2013). Higher Education in India Opportunities, Changes and Challenges. Available at http://
ssrn.com/abstract=2203706
Government of India (2012). Report of the Working Group on Empowerment of Women for the XI Plan, Ministry of Women
and Child Development.
Hans, V. B. (2012). Women Issues in Development and Empowerment. Available at http://ssrn.com/abstract=2080105
Hans V. B. (2013). Higher Education in India Assailing Challenges; Assuring Quality. Available at
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2306842
Hans, V. B. (n.d.). Creativity and Innovation in Research: Scope for Multidisciplinary Research, International Journal for
Educational Research and Information Science, forthcoming.
Sen, A. (1999). Womens Agency and Social Change Development as Freedom. Oxford University Press. New York.
Shivalingappa P., and Nagaraj, G. H. (2011) Women Empowerment and Gender Equality A Study, Southern Economist
50(10): 15-17.
UNDP (2014). Human Development Report, 2013.

Thank you